Follow the journey of a professional baseball player as he chases his dream of playing Major League Baseball!

Let’s Catch Up

First and foremost, I’d like to apologize to all my readers on
the delay of this most recent entry. The last entry spoke about waiting to be
activated. I haven’t updated you since, so here we go. June 3rd, I got a phone
call saying that I was going to be activated in the California League for the
Bakersfield Blaze. I hadn’t been back to Bakersfield, CA since July 2007, so
heading back there definitely brought back many memories. Upon arrival in
Bakersfield, I was told by the coaching staff that I was moving into the
starting rotation, and that my first start would be in Stockton, CA.

There are a lot of emotions that ran through my body each and
every milestone during shoulder rehab. The first time I threw a baseball I was
nervous. The first time I threw a bullpen, I was anxious. The first time I took
the mound during a real game in Arizona I had butterflies. However, walking out
of that clubhouse in Stockton and on to the field to stretch and throw before
my first REAL start was something completely different. I’ve always gotten a
kick out of hearing my name announced over the stadium speakers that I’m the
starting pitcher in a professional game. That’s really cool to me. I enjoy
seeing fans roll in through the stadium gates to find their seats. I love the smell
of the grills firing all over the stadium as I warm up. I even love it when the
opposing fans yell mean things at me as I warm up. It’s all part of what I
missed the last year. It’s part of my job.

My
time in Bakersfield went very well. I was able to start getting back into the
groove of pitching, throwing in front of crowds again and competing in real
baseball situations was something I longed for during my down time. The definite highlight of my time in the California League
was throwing a 90 pitch complete game. In my opinion, that game represented
everything I had worked for the last year. Every pitcher dreams of finishing what he started. There is no better feeling in the world than getting the first and last outs of a ballgame with you on the mound. I wouldn’t have been able to do that
without the help of the Texas Rangers Medical Staff, pitching coaches, strength
coaches, and trainers. To go from shoulder surgery to throwing a complete game
in less than a year was something that really let me know everything was going
to be ok. A few weeks after my complete game win in Modesto, CA, I found out I
was going to be promoted to AA Frisco, TX of the Texas League.

The
Frisco RoughRiders is the team I was playing for when I was injured last April.
AA is the level I was pitching at when I was injured, so naturally it’s the
level I wanted to be competing at again when I returned from shoulder rehab.
Getting that call that I was going to be promoted back to AA was really
exciting for me. Flying into Springfield, MO and meeting the team was great.
The jump from high-A to AA was the toughest jump in competition I made in my
career. I knew coming in a month ago that the competition would definitely
increase. My first two outings went really well, and my last two have been a
struggle.

I
understand that post-surgery pitching will have its inconsistencies. I know
that my arm is re-learning how to pitch with this workload, and that each and
every time out will not be perfect. I also understand that there’s a chance
that my shoulder will never feel like it did before having surgery. But, I am
going to work as hard as I can each and every day to ensure that I get the most
out of my arm. As I’ve said before, I don’t want to look myself in the mirror
down the road and know that my career is over because I didn’t give it
everything I had. I want to look myself in the mirror and know that I gave all
I had every day on that mound and in the training room/weight room.

As
the season winds down, I’ll definitely update my blog more often. I sincerely
appreciate my wife, family, friends, all my readers, Facebook friends, and
Twitter friends being there for me. Each and every milestone, outing (good or
bad), and every new day you all are there to lift me up, keep me entertained,
and offer positive and encouraging words. I’m glad that I can share this
journey with you guys. The Texas Rangers coaches, players, medical staff, and
training staff have been key in keeping me healthy and on that mound. I owe
many of them a debt of gratitude. Thanks for taking the time to read this
entry. Have a great day!

3 Comments

Congratulations on all of your successes so far Michael. It is so great to hear how far you have come and at that point, I don’t believe that anyone would ever doubt all that you have accomplished and that you put in 100% effort. Your hard work, determination, and faith really inspire me in much that I do.
Gary

It’s nice to know there are ballplayers out there with the determination and faith that you possess. Sometimes I think it can get lost in all the money and stats and fame…thanks for blogging, I truly admire you. Keep working hard, and I’ll be seeing your name on ESPN one day.

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